Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Isabelle Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland, Hiro Kanagawa
Intro:
… veers from solid thriller to screeching, demented trash theatre with appealing abandon.
The original Orphan, released in 2009, was one of the most slyly subversive thrillers of the decade. Buoyed by incredible performances from the likes of Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard and especially Isabelle Fuhrman, the flick also had a devastatingly shocking twist that elevated the third act to a level of high camp shlockery that was nigh on unforgettable. It was also, to be honest, a bit of a closed circuit, with a fairly definitive (and satisfying) ending. It was surprising, then, to see a prequel, Orphan: First Kill, announced for release in 2022. More surprising than that? It’s actually pretty solid, albeit trashier than the original.
Orphan: First Kill takes the action back to 2007, when everyone’s favourite faux tacker Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) escapes from an Estonian insane asylum and manages to con her way into the hearts of American family, the Albrights. These events were alluded to in the original Orphan but are much more fleshed out here. At first, the Albrights seem a pretty ordinary lot, with Tricia (Julia Stiles) and Allen (Rossif Sutherland) suitably doting parents and Gunnar (Matthew Finlan) a somewhat inexplicable douchebag. However, just when things are starting to feel a little vanilla, Orphan: First Kill pulls the rug from under the audience and aims a swift kick to their goolies of expectation. The twist (which we will absolutely not spoil) is a pearler and turns the film into a screeching cavalcade of insanity, that’s enjoyable as hell and more camp than the tent aisle of an outdoor equipment warehouse.
Performances are once again very solid, with Julia Stiles relishing her chance to chew the scenery like a hangry puppy and Isabelle Fuhrman once again shining as the family-obsessed, daddy-frotting menace. The direction from William Brent Bell is solid, and while it never quite hits the heights of the original, there’s still a very compelling film here that veers from solid thriller to screeching, demented trash theatre with appealing abandon. It’s also a reminder that these quasi-B-grade thrillers that used to be all the rage are a lot of fun. Can we get a resurgence of this kind of gear, please?
